Of course I became obsessed with the subject of the English Civil War, which I have not read very deeply about since school and so re-read this classic account of those unruly times. It even has my teenage signature in. Oy 1958!

A great book of history written by an excellent young Cambridge scholar. Highly readable story of the weirdo Charles 1st and his extremely Catholic French wife Henrietta Maria, and how her religiosity, and his stupidly wavering arrogance led to the Civil War and ultimately his execution. Though in many ways that was the finest thing he did. His second son would also be thrown off the throne….